April 19, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
S15 
them 5 inches or G inches apart. Some ■will soon take the lead, and 
if these promise to bulb well they wib further be assisted by having 
the ground lightly loosened about them, and then treated to a 
sprinkling of either soot, guano, superphosphate of lime, or sulphate 
of ammonia. Only a very little should be given at a time, and 
that in dull weather, this either being washed in by the rains or by 
water applied through a fine-rose pot. Show bulbs ought to need 
mo twisting down of the necks to hurry bulbing, but if wanted early 
this may be resorted to if necessary. In hot seasons a mulching of 
old tan, leaf soil, cocoa-nut fibre, or grass from the mowing 
machine, if given either after a soaking rain or a good watering, will 
do good. The less artificial watering necessary the better if hand¬ 
some bulbs are looked for. 
Banbury Improved is a good type of White Spanish Onion for 
spring sowing, Sandy Prize, Naseby Mammoth, and Giant Zittau 
also being good. —Exhibitor. 
TACSONIA VAN VOLXEML 
Onk of the most beautiful of all conservatory climbers is this 
Tacsonia, with brilliant crimson flowers on long thread-like footstalk.^. 
It is easily raised from seed sown in any light sandy soil, covered 
with some of the same compost, placed in heat, and watered. If 
the seed is good the young plants will appear within a fortnight or 
three weeks from the time of sowing. They should, as soon as 
large enough, be placed singly into 3-inch pots in a mixture of four 
parts fibry loam and one of leaf mould, with a sprinkling of sharp 
sand, returned to heat, watered, and shaded from sunshine until the 
roots have taken to the soil. Shift the plants into 6-inch pots 
before the roots become matted, and grow them until about 3 or 
4 feet high, when they should be planted out in a well-drained 
border, training to the roof of a greenhouse or conservatory. The 
best compost is formed of three parts fibry loam and one of peat, 
with a good sprinkling of sand. Train the shoots underneath the 
Toof. When well established thin them, but do not stop the shoots. 
—W. H. W. 
IMPROVING OLD VINES. 
PR.aCTiCE under difficulties is often useful, and I am con¬ 
strained to relate particulars of some Yines taken in hand last 
•season with a view to their improvement The house containing 
"them is old fashioned. There is no lack of rafter, and the size 
•of the panes of glass would disgust every cultivator of orchard 
"house trees. The border is outside, and the roots are not very near 
the surface, for what reason I do not know, as the border is not 
sodden or poor. The house is heated by hot water, the rods being 
trained to wires in the usual manner, and there is ample ventilation. 
The Vines had several rods each, some only a foot apart ; some 
"were old, others young, all spur-pruned, and produce few and poor 
Grapes. The Vines had been started with the New Year (1887), 
the rods being brought down horizontally along the front of the 
house, and the buds were breaking very irregularly. The border 
"had the scantiest covering of protective material, which did not 
•extend up to the house so as to cover the stems. The rods were tied 
in position, for I do not see the advantage of depressing rods 
(with canes it is another affair), and they were as I thought very 
much too close. There were the old rods, one to each rafter, and 
between those others of varied age, making the distance between a 
Toot and 18 inches. The whole had been spur-pruned. I decided 
to take out fully half the rods. Grapes, however, being a considera¬ 
tion I was constrained to reserve the marked ones until the fruit 
appeared, as those shoots that showed fruit could be retained and 
the other rubbed off. I determined to keep the best of the rods, 
‘one to each rafter, which are about 2 feet G inches apart, and to cut 
away all the others, which were the youngest rods, as they were 
badly furnished with spurs. The Vines had been kept to one rod 
for many years, then canes had been run up to get better or more 
'Grapes, or with a view to displacing the old rods, but how all came 
to be retained is left to the imagination. There they were in 
February, 1887. 
Out came the doomed rods in due season after they had finished 
'the few Grapes, and the canes taken up were remarkable for weak¬ 
ness and length, but though straw-like, there was an increase of 
■strength as they advanced from the origin, and were short-jointed 
and ripened well. The Grapes, too, finished satisfactorily. In 
autumn there were old rods, and young canes of 6, 12, and 20 feet 
length. Perhaps I ought to state that the border had a good dress¬ 
ing of lime in the autumn. About two bushels unslaked was applied 
in little heaps on the border, slaked by sprinkling with water, spread 
over the border hot, and pointed in at once. Before frost the 
border was covered with litter, adding about 18 inches thickness of 
leaves, with some long litter over to keep the leaves in place when 
■the Vines were started with the new year. Lime is of no use, say 
some persons, and even Mr. S. Castle has doubts of the value of 
old mortar rubbish, but it is a fact that lime is present in most 
plants. Is the lime of no nse when the roots come into the feeding 
ground it has prepared for them ? 
Now for the Vines. No 1, Black Hamburgh. As the old rods 
were so puny in the shoots produced they were all cut away, and a 
cane taken up, which at first was no thicker than a quill, but gained 
strength as it advanced, the laterals assisting until it had a length of 
20 feet and a thickness appi-oaching that of the little finger. It was 
cut back to 6 feet, and had ten bunches of Grapes. No. 2, Black 
Hamburgh. Old rod left, spur-pruned— i.e., to two buds, no 
Grapes ; cane very weak, cut hard back, no Grapes. No. 3, Black 
Hamburgh. Old rod retained, spur-pruned (in part), no fruit ; 
pruned four to six buds (part), no fruit. Cane very weak, cut 
hard back ; no fruit. 
No. 4, Grafted Vine. Black Hamburgh stock, old rod reserved 
of the variety Alicante, ten spurs or their shoots pruned to two 
buds, showing five bunches, all other spur-shoots pruned to four to 
six eyes, giving eight bunches of fruit. The Black Hamburgh 
cane was pruned to 7 feet, and is carrying nine bunches of Grapes. 
No. 5, Grafted Vine. Black Hamburgh stock. Old rod re¬ 
tained of Mrs. Pince which, when spur-pruned, gave no fruit. 
Cane of Mrs. Pince, pruned to 4 feet 6 inches, showed six bunches. 
A Black Hamburgh cane pruned to 6 feet furnished eight 
bunches, and another Hamburgh cane pruned to 2 feet afford 
two bunches. 
No. 6, Grafted Vine. Black Hamburgh stock. Old rod Mrs. 
Pince, spur-shoots pruned to two buds ; no fruit; whilst those 
spur-shoots pruned to four to six buds present four bunches of 
Grapes. This Vine has the run of two rafters— i.e., double space, 
hence another old rod of Mrs. Pince was partly spur-pruned ; no 
fruit; those pruned four to six buds have three bunches. Mr.^. 
Pince cane, pruned to 4 feet 6 inches, had four bunches. A cane 
of Mrs. Pince, pruned to 2 feet 6 inches, has three bunches. A 
Black Hamburgh cane pruned to 2 feet 6 inches carries three 
bunches. 
No. 7, Black Hamburgh. Old rod pruned to two buds fruit¬ 
less ; pruned to four to six buds, three shows of fruit, which have 
twisted and cnrled into anything bnt Grapes. This Vine had no 
cane taken up in 1887. No. 8, Young Vine. Black Hamburgh. 
The old Vine collapsed, and the young one does not count, as it is 
only just planted, but the one shoot intended for the cane shows 
fruit. 
It only remains to be stated that the treatment of the Vines is 
the usual one, but I have omitted to mention that the spouts were 
so arranged as to throw aU the water from the roof on the border, 
which it is needless to say has been rectified. Perhaps I ought 
also to state that so bad was the border considered that a new one 
had been made for the young Vines in an adjoining vinery, which, 
so far as I can see, might as well have been left alone, as the roots 
may be 3 feet beneath the surface, but the Vines are fairly 
vigorous, and will no doubt push roots freely from the collar into 
the surface we have prepared for them with the lime and the 
protective mulching. 
I shall only draw a few inferences. 1, The Grapes are all borne 
on the canes or semi-canes. 2, AVhere the parts were many, as in 
case of the old rods, there is no fruit of value. 3, The want of 
fruit was the consequence of weakness, due to overcropping and 
overcrowding. 4, The weakness and sterility are most decided in 
the Black Hamburgh. 5, Alicante and Mrs. Pince being strong 
growers and gross feeders, are most fruitful ; in fact much easier 
of cultivation than thin-skinned Grapes. The Vines are making 
canes double the vigour of those of last year ; indeed it is a question 
of roots, for the Vines are thi owing out aerial roots, as they always 
do when the roots are not affording sufficient support. It is also 
worth note that the roots so excited are able to attack inorganic 
substances, thereby supplying its needs in that respect for the per ■ 
fecting of its stones ; in fact it is difficult to account for Vines 
otherwise acquiring phosphorus, sulphur, and lime.—G. Abbey. 
AMAKYLLISES (HIPPEASTRUMS) AT CHELSEA. 
The annual display of these choice hothouse flowers referred to on 
page 299, marks the rapid progress made in their improvement during 
the last decade. Seedlings have been raised at Chrlsea and elsewhere years 
before this ; in fact, some of the best work performed by the celebrated 
Dean of Manchester (the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert) was the 
raising of cross-bred Hippeastrums. It is perhaps worthy of notice 
that one of the earliest of Dean Herbert's seedlings, Johnson! or regio- 
vittatum, is yet, or was quite recently, in cultivation. I am not sure 
whether this was not the first hybrid raised in England, first by a 
watchmaker of Rrescot, in Lancashire, named Johnson, in 1799, and also 
by Herbert himself at Mitcham in 1811, and aiain at Highclere later. 
It was raised by crossing H. reginaj with the pollen of H. vittatum, and 
Herbert’s method of naming these hybrids was to link the two names 
